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A Belt That Fits [PG-13]

It isn't easy specializing on one Pokemon Type, or so I've heard. Birds, Psychics, and Ghosts are the first problem. The second problem is me! Can I, a Goldenrod wimp, really become a Fighting Type Master? With an ex Police Rookie and amnesiac girl joining me, an obsessive Psychic rival trailing me, and while coming face to face with a group of poachers, can I really prove to the world that you don't have to be a meat head to train Fighting Types?! Of course I can, right?

Chapter Guide Spoiler:- Chapter 1:

The setting Johto sun… It was something beautiful, that's what all travelers thought. It made Goldenrod City even more golden than it already was. The buildings were cast aglow, and people marveled at the day's end. You could hear most residents of Goldenrod City running back home, coming home to their family and friends. It was the city that did sleep when it was supposed to. Crime was very low, even considering Goldenrod's mass amount of people. But the young population was often insecure, and made others suffer. That was the side of Goldenrod not many adults and people in general, paid attention to.

The young Trainers exploring the city to challenge Whitney, the Gym Leader, came to the Pokémon Center to rest for the next day. Some were winners that day, others lost their challenge. Other, however, were lost themselves in the huge city. Goldenrod was constantly praised for the sheer amount of people and Pokémon inhabiting it. It held a department store, which boasted a large selection to even rival that of Kanto's Celadon City. Trainers also would spend hours looking for the rather poorly located Bicycle Shop, looking for a faster mean of transportation. The Global Terminal near the coast was something that most Trainers would look forward visiting as well, to communicate with all Trainers anywhere. The Magnet Train ran across Goldenrod, and went towards the east to Kanto's Saffron City, connecting our region to theirs. The largest cities between the two regions connected by one Magnet Train was a very interesting accomplishment, considering that one had to go by boat around the whole coastline of both Johto and Kanto to reach here and forth.

My favorite part was National Park, though. Mars and I would take a walk around the large and extravagant fountain the middle of copious amounts of grass around. Of course, this was my favorite pastime. But this wasn't just mine; it was almost everyone that was around my age. So of course, I was challenged to a lot of battles. And they weren't too pretty… The point being, being wimpy makes you easy prey.

"Looks like Sebastian lost eleven battles today? I don't even feel like I'm getting a gain here, I'm heading home. His Tyrogue is getting weaker, right? It's not that my Snubull is getting stronger, of course." The older boy, the leader of the group of boys who ambushed Mars and me, began to walk away. And typically the rest of the boys began to follow. Until one of them noticed me giving Mars two Potions, restoring him back to full health. I gave the command right away. It was their blind spot that I needed to take advantage of. I wasn't going to let them get away with this again.

"Mars… use Tackle!" I commanded him. Mars charged quickly and hit the boy's Sentret, who didn't put up a good fight before, and needed the help of the leader's Snubull to take care of him. It fell backwards, looking worse than it did a good ten minutes ago when the assault began.

The other boys quickly noticed the counterattack, and sent out the same Pokémon that took out Mars previously. Mars was barely good at one-on-one combat, but ganged up like this… A Caterpie wriggled up a Tackle, knocking Mars off balance. A Nidoran used Poison Sting, which hurt, judging from Mars' expression. The same Sentret then began a fury of Scratch. A Snubull soon came back for a Take Down, knocking Mars far into the tall grass. His Trainer, the leader of the pack went up to me. I glared at him, and he did the same. We were even in the hateful stares department.

Or at least until he punched me in the face, knocking me back. He soon gave the permission for the rest of the goons to do the same. Just like last time. I was being humiliated again. Kicks and punches were both evenly distributed. And no one would come to help me. Except for the last person I wanted to see right now. This was history repeating itself, like fate. The punches and kicks were lessening down, and I was hearing the other boys shouting commands. I hazily looked over near the fountain, and saw what was going on. Not that I needed any more reminders.

"Jiggly, please use Hyper Voice!" A girl, older than me, commanded her soft looking pink Pokémon. It easily knocked back all the Pokémon in the opposing side with strong shockwaves of its loud vocals, and looked like even a few of the boys were slightly deafened.

It was expected from my sister, but it didn't make me feel any better. The opposite, actually. The boys began to run away with their knocked out Pokémon, leaving me behind. She looked at me with a concerned expression.

"Are you alright?" She asked me. It was that concern that bugged me the most.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just peachy." I spat. I was getting up, look for Mars, then walk home. I wasn't going to take some of my sister's kind words of advice today. Maybe some other day, sure. But I had steam to blow now. I guess she understood my mood, and went home by herself before I even went into the grass looking for my fallen partner.

He looked pretty banged up. Would probably take a half hour at the center, at least. I wondered if I'd be able to train a little more. I took out his relatively new Pokéball and returned him. I walked the length of Route 34, through a good part of Goldenrod, before stopping at my destination, the Pokémon Center to heal Mars. I was off the healing time too. I looked at the clock in the room. It was almost nine, a full hour after I arrived. My family would be having dinner right about now, and my sister would be telling them why I would be late to join them. Pretty embarrassing, but it couldn't be helped. They were playing a crime show on the television. The serial killer a.k.a. monster of the week was an arsonist that had OCD with the number three. I liked these shows. It gave me the hope that all bad people can be chased down and stopped. Made me feel like I would get strong and do the same thing too. If only Mars and I were a little stronger, right? Right as the next show began, Nurse Joy called out.

"The Trainer with the Tyrogue, he's all better now!" After retrieving my Pokéball from her and giving her my gratitude, I sent out Mars immediately. He looked angry. I figured at me, but he wasn't ignoring me, like he would when he was upset with somebody. I knew he wasn't mature physically or psychologically, but still. This was different than usual pouting. Then I noticed that he was staring hatefully at his small body. Now this was worse, in all honesty. It's one thing that you feel depressed yourself over self-esteem, but I guess I drew the line that night when it started affecting Mars, too. He must have thought his scrawny body was the issue with his strength. It was disheartening seeing him hate himself.

"Look Mars…" I began. I was going to try and give a cheesy motivational speech on how we would better next time, even though I knew it wasn't the case.

But then I thought of something as I looked over the television again for lessening the increasingly tense moment. The weather was on, reporting that tomorrow was going to be sunny and even hotter than today. Today was Friday. And then the date clicked in my head. I was amazed I didn't think of this before. This meant tomorrow was the perfect opportunity to go do my daily stroll at National Park. And not just any stroll. Catch a Pokémon to help train with Mars. And beat the bullies. And even beat Whitney the Gym Leader. Heck, I could beat the whole world if I got a strong Pokémon. Simple logic, I thought. Mars still looked down, but I put my hand on his shoulder.

"We're entering the Bug Catching Contest tomorrow, Mars! And we'll get you a training buddy. We'll all become the strongest, beat Whitney, and then all those boys and their Pokémon that are always mean to us, okay?" I grinned. He looked confused, but I think my enthusiasm got to him. Which was an understatement, since I was feeling phenomenal.

"Ty!" He said, putting his fist up in the air. I was happier that he got into the mood.

This was perfect.

I woke up the next morning, ate breakfast, and avoided both my parents and my sister. I didn't want to disappoint them by letting them see me after my beating yesterday. That said, I felt some bruising in my legs and chest as I made my way out of the apartment building, but I kept walking through Goldenrod with Mars at my side. They would be starting soon, and I still needed to register. And I would need a lot of time to find the best Pokémon there.

No Caterpie. No Weedle. None of those weak Bugs that even Mars can singlehandedly beat. I wanted a strong, prize worthy Bug that would help me win battles, and let Mars train hard. Like a Pinsir. Or a maybe even a Scyther would be great. I shuddered in anticipation in winning the first place prize for catching one. This was it. Everything would get better for me and Mars today.

This was my first of many master plans I had in mind, but of course, the first one to fail.

Reviews, comments and the like would great. I'd really like to know what you guys think! There are a total of four chapters (which will be longer than this one) that I'll post for the next four days before updates really start on Sunday. Chapters 4 and 5 are currently on FF though my signatures, so please enjoy if you want to read ahead!

"Hey sis? Why did you stop being a trainer? I thought for sure that you and Jiggly would make it all the way to the league!" I said in a curious voice. I knew that Isidora had everything to become huge and strong and take on the league. And I always thought that I knew what was going on her mind. So of course I was shocked when she refused to be an open book this time.

"I just got tired of it, you know?" She faintly smiled. "I just got into a bad losing streak, no big deal." She continued. She continued to drink her coffee. "Out on the road makes you miss this." She began to drink once more. Jiggly and Mars were both eating their food on the table we were eating at. Not particularly paying attention to us.

She had six badges out of the eight League Badges, just missing out on the Storm and Rising Badges. I just didn't understand how she couldn't keep going. And I knew she wasn't feeling up for telling me. Not today. But I thought to myself, 'if I became a Pokémon Trainer, I'd never quit half way. I'd make sure to have a complete journey that would make me feel proud of myself'. Suddenly, I had the resolve to finish the journey for my sister. And make a journey that I'd remember for the rest of my life.

-------------------------------------------

I thought we'd never outrun it. Mars was gasping for air too, in my arms. But in his defense, he was really taking a lot of hits, and I was proud of him for many things that day. I think we ran over a few miles by the time it got tired, probably. But I realized we weren't anywhere near National Park anymore. I never traveled too far from Goldenrod, and I realized were in uncharted territory. I looked around to see if there were any people around. And looked and looked around.

I registered like any contestant would. Since I only had Mars with me, the attendant didn't have to hold any other Pokémon, since they only allowed one Pokémon per entry. I looked at my picture at the screen. I was wearing the biggest grin I had, it almost made look scary. It was the picture of when I first registered to become a Trainer, even though that was a little over a year ago. I realized I still had the same haircut from back then. My sister told me with my short black hair, and that scary smile, I looked like a Houndour. I planned on catching one, just to bug my sister about it, since she hated canine Pokémon. Not even a cute Growlithe could stop her from screaming.

The attendant gave me Sport Balls to catch Pokémon with. There was still ten minutes left until the actual competition would start so, I started talking to Mars about the battle plan.

"Alright Mars. Here's what we're going to do when we find a strong Pokémon. You will get its attention by using Fake Out. Then it'll begin to give chase, right? Well that's when you run and make its back face me. That way, I can throw one of these Sport Balls at its back, and it'll be too stunned to break free. Got it?" I asked him if he understood my instructions. He nodded at me. Then I decided to look around the competition at the registration office. A bunch of kids both older and younger than me filled the room. Some were doing the same thing, prepping their Pokémon, while others were just casually talking with other contestants. I saw a few of the boys from yesterday, too. I met eyes with the boy who's Sentret Mars attacked, and he glared. I nervously shifted my eyes away. There were some girls who were giggling to themselves over some other girl who was being forced to enter with them, albeit hating Bug Pokémon. It was kinda of funny.

The Attendant used the loudspeaker to quiet the chatting Trainers, and it worked faster than I expected. He went over the rules of the Contest, that the one contestant to catch the strongest Bug Pokémon wins. If your Pokémon faints, it's game over for you, as well if you run out of Sport Balls. It was pretty self-explanatory.

I could do this, I know I can.

The Attendant ranged a bell, and opened the doors to the park. All of the trainers ran to the park's grass, hoping for a strong prey right away, including Mars and I. But instead, I ran into a Paras, who was beaten fast by Mars' Fake Out and Tackle. I thought that was a good start, but I still wanted to find a Pinsir or a Scyther. Those were the key Bugs in this competition. I kept looking. I thought I faintly saw something, large,green, with sharpscythes. I walked over in that direction, but I wasted a good 15 minutes searching.

"Okay, that makes three Caterpie, two Weedle, two Venonat, and a Butterfree. Makes perfect sense, why would we find a cool looking Pokémon?" I sat down on the grass, getting annoyed now, and I think I was getting to Mars. He went up to me, and I expected a nice pep talk to keep sear-

Instead he gave me a Tackle.

I was shocked, and he was looking straight at my eyes. Mars was being violent now. Or rather, he didn't want me to give up? I wasn't sure.

"Ty! Tyrogue! Rogue!" He began yelling, jumping. I had no clue what he was saying. He stopped suddenly, though, looking around the grass.

And there it was. The boy with the Sentret was battling a Scyther. And as I expected, the Sentret was not in good condition. The fierce Mantis Pokémon was tough, all right.

The Sentret got up, and began for a Fury Swipes at full speed. But it was just not fast enough, nor powerful enough to stop its Quick Attack. It looked like it hit Sentret quite hard, and knocked it out.

"Sentret, no!" The boy said, returning the rodent back to its Pokéball. The Scyther went towards the boy, looking menacing. He stepped by, and saw me looking at the scene, before smirking with a plan. He just realized something to get away. He grabbed something out of his Bag, and found some sort of berry, from what I could see, and threw it at the Scyther. Almost instinctively, it sliced the berry in two, but some of the juices got splashed on its skin. It tried to get it off by using its scythes awkwardly, but it only spread the thicker looking, red liquid, which seemed to infuriate it. I noticed the kid running off then, leaving me alone with the Scyther. It was covered in the berry's red juice. It was pissed. And looking at me and Mars.

I ran with Mars as fast as I could. I recalled then that the berry the boy threw was a Tamato Berry. A red berry. Then the next thing that I realized was that Scyther hated the color red. It just couldn't stand looking at the color. So there I was, being chased by a lethal Bug with the intent on killing us due to somebody else's getaway plan. Life wasn't fair yesterday. Even with today supposedly being the best day, so why would my luck change? I gave up running soon after, even with the Scyther gaining speed and shortening the distance between us. Mars was getting tired too.

"Sorry, Mars. I-I couldn't catch a training partner for you to get stronger with. We won't be able to beat Whitney today. We won't be on our way to beating those guys and becoming the strongest… I'm so sorry." I almost choked on those last words. But this would be it. I wouldn't outrun this homicidal Bug. I wouldn't get to say goodbye to my family. I'd be a wimp while dying too. Mars looked at me, worried.

"Hey Mars, you can make it. I'll distract it, and you run. It's not nice to make your Pokémon pay the price with you." I said, trying to die as a tragic hero. Even to just Mars.

And he Tackled me for the millionth time that day, and instead of saying anything this time, he just glared at me. And I tried realizing what Mars, my Tyrogue, was meaning. To this day, whatever he tried saying, I don't even remember, but he managed to protect me. Giving up my life to a killer Scyther just wasn't practical anymore. And I realized how he was the best Pokémon in the world, and how much I didn't deserve him.

So I got up, just as the angry Scyther approached. It was still pissed, but I looked at it still, challenging it. Mars got in front of me, raring for a battle. Whatever happened, we'd do this together.

I decided to go first.

"Mars, use Fake Out on the oversized Bug!" I commanded. And he put his hands together to let out a shock wave to stun the angry mantis.

"Scy! Scy Scy!" It cried. Its eyes were wide for a second, before retaining the murderous glare it had before. I flinched a little, but Mars stayed strong. This was going to be long battle, I thought to myself.

Oh wait, I have Sport Balls. I slapped myself. I could throw one, and escape. It would make a good cover, and I'd get out of here. We were out on the edge of Route 35, I realized, from a Blue Apricorn Tree I spotted. I took one out from my bag, and chucked it at Scyther. It soon turned into red energy, and got into the ball, before enclosing itself.

And it shook. I guess I decided to see if it would actually get caught. It shook again. And once more it shook. I could hardly contain myself; I just caught the Scyther that tried to kill me.

But my fantasy shattered when the ball broke opened, and the giant mantis was even angrier. It used a Quick Attack on Mars first off, and sent him flying into a tree. But Mars quickly got up, and ran towards the Pokémon, using Tackle. Now Mars' endurance was astounding me. Where did he get so sturdy? Unfortunately, this didn't mean that Mars' attacks were doing much. The Scyther was just knocking Mars back hit after hit. In fact, I think it go so annoyed with Mars that it began to get mad even though its wings now. They were glowing with anger.

It then was going to use a Wing Attack, I realized. Which was the worst thing that could happen to Mars.

"Mars, get out of there!" I yelled. This might be the end right here, if Mars gets hit. And he did. It looked not just painful. I could see myself going to Nurse Joy and finding out that he broke a few bones during this fight. And then he'd get taken away from an unfitting Trainer. Then I'd be alone.

Oh god, I was scaring myself selfishly. And I guess life likes tricking me. I saw something that I never thought was possible.

Mars was still standing, even from a super effective Wing Attack. He was wincing in pain, breathing hard, but he was still standing. That gave me enough resolve to throw another Sport Ball. It hit, and the Scyther went back into the ball. I didn't even want to see if it worked this time.

I scooped up Mars, and ran away from the site.

Far.

Just far enough to get away from the Scyther. Just far enough to get away from the bullies that made daily life hard on Mars and I. I was getting away from danger, at the time, but symbolically speaking, I was running away from Goldenrod. I didn't realize how far I ran until I didn't see hide or hair of the Scyther.

I thought we'd never outrun it. Mars was gasping for air too. But in his defense, he was really taking a lot of hits. I think we ran over a few miles by the time it got tired, probably. But I realized we weren't near National Park anymore. I never traveled too far from Goldenrod, and I realized were in uncharted territory. I looked around to see if there were any people around. And looked and looked around.

"Mars, I think we're lost." I laughed.

"Tyrogue…" Mars sighed. I think he was relieved to escape that maniac Bug. I know I was.

I soon spotted a sign out.

Route 36: West to Goldenrod City, East to Violet City, South to Ruins of Alph, North to Ecruteak City.

I saw a rock and decided to rest with Mars, just for a little. It was starting to get late in the afternoon, and I didn't want to worry my family. I'd just return back later in the day, forget today happened, then go back to being a wimp. A self-loathing wimp. I started to lie down on the cold path.

If only I had a Pokégear…

"Hey kid, do you know how to get to Ecruteak from here?" A voice asked me.

I turned to see a big, muscular martial artist, also known as a Blackbelt, towering me. It took me a second to reassemble myself.

"Uh, if you follow the path of those trees over there to the north, I think you should be able to reach it through Route 37 by nightfall, I said. The summer days are really long, so five or six hours didn't seem off to get there from here." I explained to the man.

"Thanks. I'll be going now." He bowed at me. Must have been the Blackbelt thing to do, I guessed. He then looked at Mars, who was resting from all the injuries he got.

"Is that your Tyrogue?" He asked me. I nodded, slightly embarrassed due to all the bruises Mars had. Didn't make me look like a good Trainer, now did it?

"It looks like you two had a rough day for training." He said, scanning the both us.

"You have no idea…" I sighed. I was going to go back soon, anyway. And sleep in my bed. And wake up to the unchanged life I always had.

"I've raised a few Tyrogue, so I know what it feels like. Yours doesn't know any Fighting type moves, does he?" He asked me. And I soon realized he was correct.

Mars only knew Tackle, Fake Out, and Helping Hand (whatever that did). He had absolutely zippo Fighting moves. How horrible. I was astonished.

I nodded at him, slowly, and shocked at this.

He then started fiddling around his bag he had over his shoulder, and withdrew a disk. It was a Technical Machine or TM for short. Those things were expensive, that was for sure. The Blackbelt tossed it to me.

"This is Rock Smash. It's the only one I have that can really help out your Tyrogue. I'm taking a wild guess, and you haven't faced Whitney, right? Well, I think you should be able to beat her with this move right here. Rock Smash makes the opponent weaker, so it gives you an advantage in longer battles." He instructed. "Unfortunately, this is an HM; Hidden Machine, not TM, so it'll be much harder to forget, in case you get stronger moved. It'll be a miracle to forget Rock Smash. Unless you have a professional at making Pokémon forget moves, though." He continued. It was a lot of instructions to follow. But he was right. I never faced Whitney, even with a Fighting Pokémon like Mars, because he didn't have any attacks to back him up. Maybe now I stood a chance.

I looked at the HM. This could substitute for the Scyther I could have caught.

Maybe my Master Plan wasn't ruined, I though.

"Th-thank you so much!" I exclaimed. This wasn't just gratitude; it was something I could never repay. This was hope given to me from a total stranger.

"Ever thought about becoming a Fighting type Trainer?" He asked. "Tyrogue are a nice Pokémon to start with. A favorite among Blackbelts." I had absolutely never thought about that. I was hoping for a strong Bug Pokémon, and then catch other Pokémon in a balanced type order.

"Wouldn't that make me easy bait for Ghosts, Birds, and Psychics?" I asked. Now I was wondering how he was doing it; traveling with all Fighting Pokémon.

"I think you know this from your own Fighting Pokémon…" the Blackbelt gestured at Mars, who was up and paying attention to us, "Well, they're hardworking, persevering, and they refuse to back down." He finished. This was true. Even if he was outnumbered against bullies' Pokémon, against a sociopathic Scyther, or even a self-degrading Trainer like me, Mars has always been loyal and would never give up for my sake.

Maybe I should give Fighting Pokémon a chance. Maybe their hardworking attitude would rub off on me. Maybe now I can stop being a wimp. I can make myself proud. This was newfound courage. I had an official goal.

Then I remembered my sister. Doubt crossed over my mind.

If these Fighting Pokémon were hard working and all those other things, where would I stand? What if I couldn't take it and dropped? Maybe they would be too much to lead. I don't particularly see myself working as hard as them. Would I just get tired and quit? I thought.

The Blackbelt saw my doubt.

"Fighting Pokémon also care very much about their partners. When they all feel like they belong in the group, they make sure no one gets left behind, not even their Trainer. They'll just expect the same thing from you. Are you up for that?" He asked. Suddenly, this was a huge decision for me. It was a chance to change.

Yes! I mean, yes I can!" I shouted. There was no reason to doubt myself here. Mars didn't doubt me before. I can at least make sure that I can do this for Mars' sake. He grabbed his bag, tightened the top, and hung it over his shoulder. He turned and began talking, without facing me.

"If you really want make sure are up for this, go head on with the Goldenrod City Gym. You'll have your answer if you challenge it. And with that, I bid you farewell." And so he began walking towards the north, leaving me in the crossroads of Route 36.

"Th-thank you…!" I yelled. I never managed to find out if he heard me or not. It was then it dawned on me that I never got his name. Now I felt incomplete. I had a goal. I had an aspiration. I had confidence growing. But I might never find out who my motivator was.

That's sad. I thought to myself. Still, I looked at the HM.

"So Mars, you want to do this? Want to help me train Fighting Pokémon?" I asked him, holding out the HM; Rock Smash. If he accepted, the HM is right here, ready to teach its move.

-------------------------------------------------------

We walked back home, around sunset. Well, scratch that. We walked towards the Gym. It'll be my first test if to give me a concrete answer if I can do this or not. I soon approached it with Mars right by my side. I healed him up at the Pokémon Center, and we were both ready for this. Luckily, none of his injuries were severe, and he was patched up rather quickly. Maybe Fighting Pokémon healed faster when they were motivated. I know I was emotionally healed now. We were up against the door, ready to push our way in.

"We can do this, Mars. You ready?" I asked, not really meaning it; it was just for reassurance on my part.

"Tyrogue!" He replied, positively. I pushed the door, to find a bunch of ladders, high platforms, and many paths. There were a bunch of women around with their Pokémon, adoring them endlessly. One of them spotted me. This girl was different from the other woman. She was considerably younger, but surer of herself, judging from the grin on her face. She wore a plain white shirt with red outline and blue shorts.

"You here for a battle, honey? Hey girls, isn't his Pokémon a cutie?" She asked, while the other women were squealing at Mars. I wasn't here for much adoring, but it looked like I had no say in the matter. I just wanted a Gym Badge!

"Y-Yes I am. My name is Se-Sebastian." I responded. If I wanted to become a Fighting Pokémon Trainer, best to follow Blackbelt etiquette, right?

"I'm Whitney, the Gym Leader. Pleased to meet ya!" She said. She kinda of reminded me a little of Isidora. She guided me to the main battlefield. There was a referee there too. She was just doing her nails, though. She looked surprised when she noticed Whitney and I as we made our way to the opposite sides of the stadium. The battlefield wasn't too difficult to work with, though. It was plain dirt, it seemed. Off the sides were a few bleachers, where the other ladies went to sit on.

I guess it was a real Gym Battle. I shuddered.

"We're really doing this, huh, Mars?"

He smiled brightly at me. He was ready. The referee looked ready to announce the rules.

"This will be an official Pokémon League Gym Battle between Gym Leader Whitney and the challenger Sebastian! This will be a two-on-two battle and only the challenger may substitute during the match!"

Two-on-two. I only had one Pokémon. Whitney had two. I almost fainted right there. I couldn't say now that I only had Mars on me, right? Would that disqualify me? I didn't have the nerve to ask. Mars seemed to vaguely understand my unease.

"Ty! Rogue! He said, grinning proudly. He was trying to tell me that he could it by himself. I think he was anyway. I was never too sure what was going on his head when he talked to me sometimes.

"Mars, y-you're up! You can do this!" I said. I don't why exactly I was nervous. It was my first Gym Battle, and would be testing my future. I don't think Mars was nervous. I decided to go first, due to knowing what my attack was to start the battle.

"Mars, Fake Out!" I yelled out. Mars went to the Fairy Pokémon, and clasped his hands together to create a shock wave similar to the one on the Scyther a bit back. The Normal type stumbled backwards, and we had secured our first move, immobilizing hers completely. "Good, now use Rock Smash!" And Mars did, punching Clefairy out with intense power. It was an actual Fighting move, and looked great on him. It didn't knock Clefairy out, though.

"Clefairy, use Attract!" she commanded the counter attack. The Clefairy now winked at Mars to release multiple hearts that surrounded Mars, just to infatuate him. I face palmed then. We were working hard, just for this to happen. My Gym challenge could right now with the wrong move. "Now Mars, use Rock Smash! You're just being fooled by her cuteness!" I tried to snap him out of it, fruitlessly. He was just immobile as a flinched Clefairy against the previous Fake Out.

My eyes widened on the move. Metronome is a move that randomly changes the Pokémon's memory to allow it to use any move. That meant that it could be a move that ends us right away. NowIwasreadytojustgiveup.The Clefairy then wiggled its fingers back and forth repetitively, and soon shone out a bright light, which affected Mars somehow. I had to cover my eyes from the light. When it faded away, I saw that Mars was relatively unharmed.

Instead, my shock was that Clefairy was knocked out instead. Whitney's face looked upset as she retuned her. "Clefairy is unable to battle!" The referee announced, holding a flag towards my side.

"Well, that could have gone better!" She laughed nervously, putting her arm behind her pink hair mareepishly. "Oh well, here's the real battle! Go, Miltank!" She took out another Pokéball, her second and last, and tossed it to reveal her pink cow. Its blue eyes stared into her opponent's. Mars still looked tough, even the cow was obviously bigger.

"Alright Mars, use Rock Smash!" I shouted. I had no other choice. This was my best bet on winning.

"…" Mars said and did nothing. Nothing at all. In fact, he had a perplexed look on his face, like he just couldn't pull of a Rock Smash. Whitney's face brightened up.

"Oh, that explains it! Clefairy used Memento! She fainted to take out your Tyrogue's Rock Smash, good going!" She took out her Clefairy's Pokéball, and instead of bringing out her fallen Pokémon, she kissed its Pokéball and returned into her pocket. I couldn't say anything.

I was ready to throw the towel. Mars had just lost access to the move that made all the difference. I only had Tackle left, and that would barely scratch Miltank. I had no other moves to think of using. I just lost all possibilities of winning. Heck, I almost withdrew Mars and ran away. But Mars still charged with the Tackle. The Miltank was surprised at the sudden move.

But she just decided to yawn it off, grinning at Mars tauntingly. "Alright Miltank, Stomp!" Whitney shouted. And soon enough, Mars was under Miltank's hooves. And it looked hurtful. Mars got out slightly pained, but his sturdiness shined again as he stood up valiantly. But Whitney then called for a Rollout from her Miltank, sending Mars flying.

And flying. And flying some more after each Rollout.

Mars would get up every time, though. And I just watched hopelessly at the situation. I couldn't bear it anymore.

"Mars, stop! You can't win! Get over here before you get really hurt!" I tried to recall him desperately. But with no avail and he just avoided his Pokéball. After a few seconds of silence, he turned around to face me, and ran over to me, like I hoped.

And Tackled me instead of listening further.

"Ty! Tyrogue rogue!" He began again with talking a tongue I couldn't understand. I tried my best to guess what he was saying desperately.

"…You want to continue? Really? Mars, you're just going to get hurt!

"Tyrogue!" He yelled directly at me, looking straight into my eye. And then I got the message. We were in this together when we arrived, but now I was the only backing down, while Mars had to struggle for the both of us. I felt pathetic now. I didn't just lose faith in Mars, but I felt my own faith slip. And that wasn't fair for Mars, who's been working extremely hard to win.

Fighting Pokémon Trainer? Me? Maybe I didn't have what it takes, but I can't back down on Mars. It wasn't fair for him.

"Mars, keep going, I believe that you can do it." I smiled a bit at him. I had to bring up both of our confidence to win this match.

"Sorry, Whitney." I looked at her apologetically for pausing the match.

"It's okay, we all get down sometimes. Just keep moving forward, you know! But I'm afraid this is the end of your Tyrogue, so you'll have to keep going forward together some other time. Miltank, one final Rollout!" she called. I wasn't going to back down.

"Mars, grab it when it comes at you!" I yelled frantically. This may or may not work, but I had to try, for Mars. And he did grab. But then Miltank's force increased, and gave Mars trouble of holding it up. He winced in pressure. Sweat going down his body. Too many scratches to count. I'm not going to waste all Mars had done for me prior to this battle. I won't.

"Mars, don't you dare give up! We're in this together, right! So give it everything you got, for the both of us!" At the moment, I gave all my encouragement I have ever had in a battle to Mars. He grunted loudly and began to move Miltank back a fraction of an inch. A miracle.

Soon, a light emitted from Mars' body, and brightly too. Is he learning a new move? He yelled out even louder now, and the light became too bright and knocked Miltank back. Whitney, the spectators, and even the referee were astounded, while the light subsided.

I was amazed at Mars. He was no longer a scrawny, purple Pokémon. He was now brown, had a tunic, and sported bigred boxinggloves. I almost stumbled down. A Hitmonchan.

"Chan! Hitmonchan!" He cried, looking at his new body. I didn't know what say. Anything I'd say would be able to amount the indescribable feeling of accomplishment I had that moment. Still, Miltank wasn't totally phased, and went for another Rollout to finish Whitney's command. It was coming faster, and harder than before, most likely from sensing the new opponent's power. She went right past Mars, only to keep rolling and eventually falling on her side seconds later, visibly defeated. With one, invisible attack.

Neither Whitney nor the referee managed to see it, but I did, even if only slightly. Mars threw a punch. No wait; more than that. In a single second. It hit Miltank fast, and defeated her with intense power and speed.

"U-uh, Miltank is unable to battle! Victory goes to the challenger, Sebastian!" The referee announced, slightly taken back. Whitney soon pouted and withdrew her fallen Pokémon.

"That battle was really unexpected, I'll say! I'd cry over it, but I'm still shocked, for your information. A sudden evolution? Really?" She laughed. I nervously laughed along, both of us walking towards the middle of the field where Mars stood alone and victorious. "But as a Gym Leader, I've gotta give up this Plain Badge. Take it; you two deserved that one for sure!" She said, reaching into her pocket and presenting me with a Gym Badge.

There it was. The fruit of our labors. I gladly took it, and showed it to Mars. He looked at the symbol rather strangely, but looked happily at my expression. I breathed fresh air when we left the Gym. I noticed it was pretty dark, and I grabbed Mars' glove and starting running back home at full speed. Mars soon let go, and started running ahead of me, leaving me to run faster to catch up. Even though we've never ran so much in one day, I didn't care about my legs hurting. And was because of one thing.

We were victorious today.

Chapter 3 will be posted tomorrow and so on until chapter 5, at which updates will be on Sunday. Thanks for reading, and R/C would be great!

It did take a little while to get used to your style, but I think it fits the story well. I really like the trainer-pokemon bond between Sebastian and Mars. I also like how well their personalities synergize, Sebastian being timid and Mars being confident and trusting. I noticed some minor errors, so I'll probably edit this post tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

Edit: Just re-read it, and I still find it entertaining. Here are some errors I spotted:

"I just got tired of it, you know?" She faintly smiled. "I just got into a bad losing streak, no big deal." She continued. She continued to drink her coffee. "Out on the road makes you miss this." She began to drink once more. Jiggly and Mars were both eating their food on the table we were eating at. Not particularly paying attention to us.

A little repetetive, but that may just be my OCD. I recommend changing the second sentence to "She took a sip of her coffee."

"Scy! Scy Scy!" It cried. Its eyes were wide for a second, before retaining the murderous glare it had before. I flinched a little, but Mars stayed strong. This was going to be long battle, I thought to myself.

In my opinion, there really should've been something like italics to seperate that from the action. Or something like "I realized it was going to be a long battle."

Maybe my Master Plan wasn't ruined, I though.

Missed a t at the end there.

He then started fiddling around his bag he had over his shoulder, and withdrew a disk. It was a Technical Machine or TM for short. Those things were expensive, that was for sure. The Blackbelt tossed it to me.

I'd just like to point out that after this instance, the TM was changed to HM. Was this by accident, or because of Sebastian's inexperience?

"Well, that could have gone better!" She laughed nervously, putting her arm behind her pink hair mareepishly.

Not an error, but I really like what you did there. Considering this is first person, and animals seem not to exist in the Pokemon world, that made more sense than Sheepishly.

Last edited by Sound; 7th December 2011 at 9:38 PM.

I have officially claimed Castform, The Master of all Weather!

Monorpale is my favorite Gen 6 Pokemon so far. If you have a problem with it, you can talk to the tassel hand.

It did take a little while to get used to your style, but I think it fits the story well. I really like the trainer-pokemon bond between Sebastian and Mars. I also like how well their personalities synergize, Sebastian being timid and Mars being confident and trusting. I noticed some minor errors, so I'll probably edit this post tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

I tottaly agree with this

Banner beware of darkness to felly

[IMG]http://i39.*******.com/256e48w.png[/IMG]
Thank you Mew for this banner

Thanks thaBlob

Q:Whats the same about an eagle and a moleA:They both live underground execpt for the eagle

I missed yesterday's chapter because I was overloaded with school work, but now you'll get a steady flow of chapters 3-5 until Sunday, where chapter 6 will arrive ready and fresh.

@Thanks for the review, Sound! I started doing some corrections myself for the few couple of chapters now, so that list will help me edit and revise. Yes. Sebastian thought that it was just a plain TM, since in my mind HM's are just a different branch of TM's. So while he believed it was a TM, he soon was told about it being an HM, as it was referenced throughout the rest of the chapter. Thanks for the Mareepish praise though. I do wish I can take credit for that, though. xD

Without further delay, Chapter 3! Spoiler:- Chapter 3:

"What do you think Dad's getting us this year, Isidora?" I asked. Every year our parents would gather up their money for gifts. Sure we had Christmas to look forward to, but this was our family tradition. Our holiday. It didn't have a name, but we made sure to observe it quite faithfully.

"I saw something about the breeder's convention under his desk's keyboard, so… I think its Pokémon Eggs." She replied. If we had a sneak contest, my sister would win every time. There was very little that you can hide from her, and she'd go looking for all kinds of evidence until she found what she wanted. If it was anyone else but my sister telling me this information, I wouldn't be sure if they were telling me the truth.

And I was ecstatic. That meant Pokémon. I was ten at the time, and my sister was just almost twelve later in the month. Sure, she was never really in the mood to have Pokémon to travel with, but I sure did. And now, we'd get our own Pokémon to take care of, and become best friends with… Life was going to rock, I just knew it!

Dad came home a little later in the day. He had two wrapped boxes; one blue, one pink; and set them on the table in the living room. We came running down like small children (which we were, arguably) and lunged at them. We took out two containers-incubators, each with a Pokéball mounted on top. But the most incredible part of the gifts was inside the incubator, in the form of an Egg. Mine was a shade of purple that was on the light side, while my sister had a pink egg with a swirl on top. They were vague looking, and that's probably how my dad wanted them. We would spend a lot of time guessing around, wondering how they would grow up to be, and how we'd be friends. It was nerve wrecking. We hugged Dad tightly, and Mom just looked at the scene happily.

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My family spit out their coffee when I showed them my Plain Badge in the morning.

I got back home rather late, and I was too sleepy. I returned Mars right when he got tired from our running (I was even more tired, mind you), and walked towards home just to eat some leftovers and go to sleep in the blink of an eye. Or Mars' Mach Punch. I think Mars was faster.

I woke up late too, and found my parents and sister eating breakfast. I casually sat down, got some waffles out, poured myself a cup of lemonade. I was the weird one who doesn't like coffee, taste or smell.

"You're not taking Mars out, honey? We've been worried since we didn't see you at all yesterday, you know." Mom investigated, while drinking her coffee, copying my dad and Isidora, who both were eyeing me suspiciously. Isidora really liked the idea of growing up, and she drank a lot of coffee to match. I sighed and fished for Mars' Pokéball out of my pocket. I didn't release him just yet. Instead, I drank my cup of lemonade.

And also took a certain Plain Badge out and put it on the table, sliding it to the center with my finger. Cue spit take of three different coffees. Isidora started choking, and Dad had to pat her back for her to calm down. She settled down right afterwards, though, looking mad about something.

"Hey, what are you doing with my Plain Badge? Did you seriously go into my room?" She demanded. Uh-oh. She misunderstood. I had to play this one cool, though.

"What are you talking about? You don't believe that your younger brother can't be as talented as you and win a Gym Badge?" I said smugly.

"Not with just Mars you can't! It took me ten whole tries with Jiggly to beat Whitney, I'll have you know!" My sister argued back. And I beat Whitney on my first try, I thought. My parents just looked at us. I looked at Isidora, and then to my parents. This was the moment of truth. I took out Mars' Pokéball from the table, and threw it.

Mars came out, and was greeted to the wide eyed stares of three people in disbelief. I soon remembered Hitmonchan were taller than Tyrogue, and realized it was impractical to have him sit on the table with Jiggly, so I went to grab an extra chair and placed it next to mine.

My parents were shocked. Isidora even more so. And I played everything cool, like a champ. Hitmonchan let out a 'chan' before sitting down.

"Oh my god. He actually evolved into that." Isidora said. Her eyes widened some more when it hit her. "So that really is your badge!"

"Real and present." I winked.

I finished my breakfast in a classy manner with Mars, while everyone else cleaned up the large amounts of coffee on the table, without a word from any of them.

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To my parents, I was going out on a stroll to National Park like usual, just with Isidora. To us, though, we were planning how I should go about during my planned journey on the top floor of the Department Store. I was leaving tomorrow morning.

"So you want to… train Fighting types?" She asked me with great emphasis on the 'Fighting'.

"Yes, and don't try to change my mind. I already went over all the cons… and they don't outweigh the pros here." I said, adamantly. I wasn't going to back down on my choice here. I already went over it with the Blackbelt, and my victory against Whitney only made me surer of it. I was going to help Fighting types reach their potential as a Trainer. On the flip side, they would make me stronger. And uh, less wimpy.

"Alright then… So you'll have trouble with Morty of Ecruteak… Falkner of Violet… and maybe Bugsy from Azalea. But I guess it's an okay tradeoff for being strong against Jasmine of Olivine and Pryce of Mahogany." She continued thinking. "You know where you can find Fighting Pokémon?" She asked me. I stopped sipping my drink.

I didn't. In fact, I didn't even think about it. Isidora took my lack of movement for a 'no' and sighed.

"Seriously? Geez, you're hopeless." She sighed again, even louder. Then she began to think. She looked at me. "Okay, Machop you can find out in the mountains by Ecruteak, and I've seen some Poliwag in the ponds in Ecruteak too, come to think about it…" She pondered. I looked at her weird.

"Poliwag are Water types, though. Why would I need one of those?" I asked. I mean, was she just joking here? She now was looking at me funny.

"Poliwag stay purely Water type even when they evolve into Poliwhirl. But… With a Water Stone, it gains Fighting as a secondary typing as a Poliwrath. " She winked. I was pleasantly surprised at that. "Chuck of Cianwood beat me too many times to count just with that Poliwrath.

Alright, so Hitmonchan, Machop, and a Poliwrath. Half of my team was right there. They were near Ecruteak, though, and Ecruteak has a Gym for Ghost Pokémon. That meant that's where I should go first even with a complete disadvantage. My other option would be Violet City,I thought.

"Oh wow, your second Badge is going to be pretty tough earn! It's either Violet, or Ecruteak. But Ecruteak is my suggestion, since you can catch more Pokemon there." She exclaimed, looking at me. "You sure you're up for it?"

I was. I'd leave for Ecruteak tomorrow morning.

We spent the rest of the day preparing my bag to leave. She told me that our parents wouldn't be surprised, seeing that Mars had gotten stronger, and so did our resolve to travel. We packed a lot of bottles of water; plenty of healing items, a few revives… I tried packing one lemonade… orthree, but my sister hit me on the head when I opened my bag up. Mars laughed.

"No way, just the essentials. Those cans can take up space for three potions, two water bottles, or even an escape rope! So, drink it now, but don't make that mistake like I did. Did you remember how much coffee I brought along just to throw it out a few days later?" She added. She really did know what's best for traveling, I couldn't deny it. Even if it was just learning from her mistakes. I laughed.

I thought about it then. What mistakes would I make? Would I learn from them? I sighed and thought one last thing.

Would someday somebody else learn from me? Would I ever be the teacher for somebody starting out? I guess my sister must have been feeling that her journey was worth it, teaching me what to do and what not to do. I was a little jealous there.

------------------------------------------------

I took one last stroll through National Park later that evening. I walked around with a backpack, getting used to the heavier weight. Had to get used to it now, I thought. I felt a little slower, but I could manage. We got a lot of useful things at the Department Store, all essentials, so I didn't have the option on cutting down. But there was one bigger reason why I wanted to go through the park.

'It was like a scene out of a martial arts movie, with Mars as Jackie Chan. He was beating all the bullies' Pokémon with flash punches. Mars' laughed at the Sentret he sen t flying, as well as the Snubull he sent all the way into the fountain. The Caterpie from before? Somewhere out on Route 34. Yeah, Mars sent it flying all the way through Goldenrod. It was amazing, if I said so myself' I thought.

Yup. That's what I was going to be telling everyone in Goldenrod when I was through with the bullies. No, it wasn't sad that I just practiced my awesome victory speech. That's what I had hoped would happen.

But no, and the universe does like to screw up beautiful plans. Especially screw up mine. The boys that usually spent time in front of the fountain weren't there. I did see, however, a rather large, brown haired woman with a Granbull and Snubull, though, sitting on the fountain. She noticed me.

"Oh, hello! Sorry, but Charles is out sick today, and I guess his friends didn't call you that they cancelled their plans today. So instead, I decided to stay around and give Bumbles a walk here." She gestured at the Snubull by her, who was clearly resting. It woke up after hearing its name, and started barking loudly with anger when it sensed my presence. The woman looked surprised. I wasn't. It was the leader's Snubull. It was the leader that well, led the boys against me. No wonder why the Snubull wasn't particularly friendly towards me. And if anyone but the boy's mother was there, I'd take out Mars to give a fast Mach Punch to its face. Instead, I got blackmail material in the form of naming a Pokémon Bumbles. Which was good enough for me, concerning the circumstances.

The woman soon noticed something, and came to the right conclusion about Bumbles.

"Are you… Sebastian? Because I overheard my son saying that Bumbles doesn't growl like that unless you're around." She explained. Bumbles didn't look very much pleased, and went over to play the Granbull I assumed was the mom's. I guess they were right.

"I guess it takes after your son, then." I said with a bitter laugh. That's right. I was going to open up slightly to my enemy's mother. She looked at me confused. Then we looked out to another battle that was going on nearby. And then she looked back at me.

"What do you mean? Does Charles not like you?" She asked sincerely. And I guess I had no reason to believe that she was in on it. The bullying.

"Well, if liking me means leading his friends to beat me up and my Pokémon daily, then no. You son likes me very much." I said sarcastically she thought about my response for a while.

"I'll make sure to talk to him about it. He has to have some sort of issue to do that to others…" She said, now worried. It was expected by this seemingly doting woman. Too bad it was needed. I saw the fight nearby heat up, literally, with a Magmar using Lava Plume on another trainer's Persian.

"Sorry to say, ma'am, but I'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I'm going to travel with my Hitmonchan. So, uh, tell your son that I'll be out of his hair." I explained. She looked sad that she wouldn't be able to make up for my bullying.

"Oh my… I wish you have a healthy journey then. I apologize for Charles an-"She was cut off by a frantic Persian, whose tail was clamped tightly by Bumbles jaws. She screamed for Bumbles to get off, to no avail.

That was my chance. Even if I couldn't get revenge out on the Charles, or the rest of them before I left, I could at least give this one last impression. I took out my Pokéball, and was about to send out Mars to give an accurate Mach Punch to knock out the Snubull. But the Magmar was too fast and quickly took it out with a Flamethrower. Did I mention it was a clean cut, too? Only knocked Bumbles out, and the matched continued. The leader's mom went to pick up the fainted Pokémon.

"Oh dear… This is why you shouldn't be mischievous like that, Bumbles!" She lightly scolded it, before being returned into the Pokéball. There went my opportunity. Maybe revenge was just not meant to be in my case. Not really the greatest feeling in the world, where you couldn't give payback, but I'd deal with it. I've dealt with everything pretty nicely so far, right?

"Sorry, but I better take him out to the Pokémon Center. I don't think my son would appreciate me letting him get beaten like that." She said softly. I guess she must have felt guilty. She then returned her Granbull, who had been sleeping, even during the commotion.

"Oh, it's okay. I need to finish getting everything ready for tomorrow." I replied, and she took that as a cue to leave. Sure, I had to cross out 'revenge' out from my 'getting ready' list, but whatever. I won't count it as regret before I leave. I was going to count it as my first lesson, first moral, if you will. I took out a journal, a new one I bought while my sister left to look for clothes. Not for me, mind you. She was still a 13 year old, young and still self-centered.

"Alright, moral learned. Number one: Don't plan revenge. The universe does it for you." I said out loud, writing it into my Journal. I had a few pages for the morals I'd learn over my journey. This way, I can teach somebody who'd listen. It'd be something nice to think about while out on the road.

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I got home much earlier than yesterday, that's for sure. And I came back to see a surprise gift on the counter. It was for me, from my parents. It wasn't wrapped, but it looked like they had planned to. In plain sight was a new Pokégear, shiny and blue, just waiting for the user to input their information, and register other's phone numbers. Soon, a Jigglypuff was soon thrown at my face, drawing me away from my present.

"No! You weren't supposed to see that!" Isidora yelled at me. I took Jiggly off of my face, and threw her back at Isidora, where she landed softly, and slightly mad from the sudden scene game of catch, yelling a few "Puff Puff!'" at us. Isidora then began apologizing fast, and rocked her Normal type Pokémon. Funny, too, since the same puffball beat so many Gym Leaders last year. I was kinda sad when she felt like the family pet, alongside the rest of Isidora's Pokémon when quit training. She only had four, though.

"Well, I'm sorry I looked at something out in the open in my own house." I groaned. I know it should have been a surprise, but come on. A puffball like Jiggly hurt more than you'd think. Balloon Pokémon my foot. Or maybe I needed to work out more, I'm not sure.

"Mom and Dad got this for you in the morning, and I was in charge of wrapping it… They'll like kill me for ruining the present!" She moaned.

"I didn't see a thing." I said. I mean, I should be grateful that I'm getting the Pokégear, I wanted one since it came out in a new design. I shouldn't ruin the moments of the day right before I left.

That night, my parents came home with groceries, goods, and other things they usually did on Sundays. My parents had normal positions in Silph. Co, and managed normal hours and normal pay. They gave me a box during dinner wrapped by a certain sister, andwhatdoyouknow, it had the Pokégear. I had to look surprised and happy. I ruined the surprised part, but I over did the happy. After all, I got a new Pokégear! My parents gave me a sheet of paper with the numbers I should know, in the case I lost my Pokégear. I dreaded the thought of that happening, but still, I thanked then.

Isidora tapped my shoulder, and gave me a small blue bag. It was small enough to fit in my normal backpack and not take up any room, but it was bigger than my pocket. I opened the top.

I found my Plain Badge, and two Pokéballs. One black with blue spots, one green with red stripes.

"These are…?" I asked, holding the Pokéballs. I knew it was my badge, but the pokéballs…?

"A Heavy and Lure Ball. I still had them from when Kurt gave me them. I figured that they've done enough time collecting dust in my shelf, so consider them a little gift." She winked. This was really a going away party. I was really leaving Goldenrod City.

"Thanks. I really, really mean it." I said softly. And I couldn't have been any more grateful that night. I let Mars out of his Pokéball and let him sleep in my room, next to me. When he was a Tyrogue, he felt like a small child. But now, I guess were going to be companions throughout this journey. Oddly enough, I slept pretty nicely that night. I guess I had just passed the age where you couldn't sleep the night before you actually traveled as an actual Trainer.

That morning went as usual. Ate breakfast my parents, took a shower, brushed me teeth, etc. Next though, broke my habit. I checked all my supplies just to make sure. I tied the smaller bag Isidora gave me on the side of my normal backpack. I'd use it to store my badges. All eight of them would eventually stay in that little bag. Then I'd take on the Pokémon League eventually, right? I'd make sure to.

When Isidora left on her journey, I was waiting for her to come back and tell me how the Pokémon League went, how she felt, what she learned from it… I wanted to feel the experience radiating from her.

I was disappointed when this wasn't the case. And so I was going to have cover that part by myself with my own team.

I gave my goodbyes, hugs, and kisses to my family. They wished me the best, and I didn't want to disappoint them. And so I left behind a crying mother, a sentimental father, and a hopeful sister. I hoped myself that I can come back accomplished.

------------------------------

We passed Goldenrod City, Mars and I, pretty slowly. It was the last time I'd visit in a while, I though. First we passed the Bike Shop .I thought about having a bicycle to cut my traveling time shorter, but I decided against it. Was I really going to cut my training time too? Spending more time walking and training on the road with Fighting type Pokémon seemed more reasonable. So I walked by it without looking back.

I looked out to the Radio Tower in the distance, right next to the Global Terminal. The Radio Tower was a nice place to visit, but my Pokégear came with a built-in radio, so I wouldn't miss much of the music they played. As for the Global Terminal, would I really have a reason to go there in the future? Maybe arrange some battles, sure. Other than that… not really. I looked once more, before finishing my trek to Route 35. I walked passed every day to reach National Park, but there was never anything too interesting that's I'd miss. So I passed it without thinking too much. Mars let a yawn a few times, too. He didn't think much of this Route either, I supposed.

National Park was pretty nice today. I don't know who won yesterday's Bug Catching Contest, but when remembering the Scyther… I decided to wipe it out from my memory completely. Mars looked particularly happy walking here. It was here that we could say faced our biggest struggles. The bullies wouldn't come out until later on in the day, but even if they did bother us, Mars would give them seconds thought about it. That's right. Mars was strong now. Maybe not the strongest, but he packed more punches than before.

"Hey, Mars, you think we'll be battling the boys and their Pokémon anytime soon?" I asked him. I didn't expect much of an answer, honestly.

"Mon." He shook his head. Well, that meant he didn't know, didn't really mind, or just didn't care altogether. We continued our stroll. Or actually, our exit. I looked at the fountain again. I always thought it'd be nice to have a battle with the fountain there. A good one too, not a one sided gang up. I sighed, thinking that day would be far away, but I kept walking side by side with Mars.

"Route 36… Mars, no turning back now, now let's start our journey." I said. Mars looked at me and grinned. We'd keep going along the very same path of trees I told the Blackbelt to follow yesterday.